Split Croatia // first big lesson of traveling in Europe

Croatia is such a beautiful country filled with so much history. I was lucky enough to tag along with my husband on a business trip to Split, Croatia. This was our first trip while living in Europe. I was still a rookie at traveling so I didn’t really plan the trip with an itinerary or anything. Plus, my husband was planning to work a lot, therefore, I figured my daughter and I would hangout by the beach as much as possible. I spent some time in the city which is where I experienced my first big lesson of traveling in Europe.

our hotel

Hotel San Antonio is a beautiful boutique style hotel located in Podstrana, right along a white pebble beach. Only about a 20 minute drive from the city and 30 minutes from the Split Airport. They have a delicious breakfast and an awesome restaurant outside with a gorgeous view of the beach. With bus stops located outside the hotel, making your trip into the city very easy. Plus, the hotel staff is super friendly and provides all of the information you need to get around.

my first big traveling lesson

After spending most of my time at the hotel and laying on the beach with my little one. I decided on our last day to venture out and go into the city. I took a bus into the city and began to explore and soak in the historic scenery. After a nice stroll in a city park my daughter fell asleep in her stroller. I made a quick call to my husband who was still working. Then slipped my phone into the side pocket of the diaper bag which was hanging on the stroller. Like most moms would do, I took advantage of the quiet time and went shopping leaving my phone in the bag. However, my biggest mistake was turning my back on the stroller while I was shopping.

Someone had either seen the phone in the pocket or had followed me from the park. Either way they found a distracted tourist (me) and snatched my phone right from under me. Once I noticed, I freaked out.

I instantly thought about my husband and knew that within time he was going to begin to worry. We had just recently received our 13-digit Germany phone numbers and I had barely memorized my own let alone his number. I tried to call my mother back in the states and have her call my husband. But the store’s phone didn’t call out of the country. I thought about going back to the hotel, but I then spotted the police and they were very kind to take me to my husband at the Croatian military base. At this point my husband was definitely beginning to worry as he saw that my phone location was now completely across the city. So, he was extremely relieved to see the two of us.

moving on

After this trip I took the time to make a list of emergency contacts, on actual paper. This list also includes mine and my husband’s Germany phone numbers. Most importantly I learned to put my phone in a safer place and to never turn my back on my belongings. Unfortunately, I never received that phone back and lost so many great pictures from that morning. However, my daughter and I are safe, and I will forever be grateful for that.

After reuniting with my husband, we filed a police report and decided to stroll into the city together and end our last day on a positive note.

Regardless of what happened to me in Split, Croatia, I still had a wonderful time there and hope to someday go back to explore their beautiful islands and waterfalls.